Hey, I'm not the only one that plays my own "soundtracks" to silent films?!! That's awesome, Phillip! :)

just watched the original silent classic phantom of the opera, but with boris' "feedbacker" and "flood" albums blaring back to back in my headphones as a soundtrack.

that's the perfect way to watch that film.

dead birds sounds good, kd

I just watched Dead Birds (2004). A group of outlaw confederate soldiers rob a bank (you see half a guy's head blown off within the first five minutes of the film) and hide out in a creepy old abandoned house surrounded by cornfields. One by one, the group is subjected to visions (and more) of what went on previously in this house of horrors. Creepy atmosphere, some gore, scary monsters and good acting. Hampered a little by a sense of vagueness and I'm not sure that having one of the characters step on a dead bird toward the beginning of the film warrants using that for a title, but oh well. I'd recommend it. Stars Henry Thomas - you know, the little kid from E.T.!

Jennifer's Body.

Saw it last night. There are moments of extreme cheese, and it was a little more teen-centric than I typically care for. All in all, however, it felt different and amusing. The movie seems to have a sense of humor about itself, and there are some truly sympathetic characters. Megan Fox, dumb as she may be, is amazingly perfect and pretty. It's almost mesmerizing to look at her. Every eyelash seems to be perfectly in place.

This movie isn't for everyone, but you would probably appreciate it if you like the not-quite-horror-comedy dark humor of Drag Me To Hell. I'll give this one a 6.5 on my 1-10 scale.

I fiiiinally saw Rec. Great movie - I really liked how you (and the reporter) figure out throughout the movie how the contagion started - although I'm still not sure who that extremely spooky chick at the end is though... (but that's OK!) The interview with the 2 directors in the Special Features also gives you a real view into how they conceived of the movie and developed it.

Just finished watching, At Midnight, I'll take your Soul. Not quite sure how I feel about it. It was a very low budget film, and according to the director's interview in the addtional material, he put himself in the film as he couldn't find an actor that wanted to do it or would take it seriously. By the way, you'll see the thumbnails of the protagonist Ze in the film were not something that had to be added on by costuming and make up. those are really his. He had very limited film stock to use and someone stole 2 reels while in production, so a lot of it was shot in one take. When you're watching it, it's very easy to believe. Some of the Netflix reviews refer to him as the Ed Woods of Brazil, and again, you can believe that, except that the film was a box office smash in Brazil and elsewhere. He said some 50,000 people came to see it at one theatre alone over a week. It was taken seriously on various levels including the main character's militant atheism and was censored by the government, although watching it today,it's hard to believe.

There's certainly no shortage of wild overacting, bad lighting, horrible makeup and peculiar cheap special effects. He created a most peculiar "ghost" special effect by putting glitter on the film stock around the image of the actor. When I heard the director explain it, I thought wow, that's exactly what it looked like.

The opening of the film as a very Tales of the Crypt kind of atmosphere, where a gypsy woman warns the audience they'd really, really be much better off if they left now before the story begins, and then cackles that oops, it's too late now. But for all the campiness, it does have a most peculiar energy to it. I kept thinking I'd seen enough but kept watching through the end. If you do pick this up, be sure to watch the interview and the trailers to several of his other films. the trailers are truely whack,especially the last one that largely takes place in a most second rate Hell.

i saw thirst yesterday, the new korean vampire film by the director who made oldboy. it was most enjoyable. has anyone else seen it?

i've also been having a vincent price retrospective around here lately. theater of blood was fun, as was house on haunted hill. i'm just about to watch last man on earth.
also watched pit and the pendulum, which was better than i remembered.

Watched April Fool's Day last week. Great fun! There are great little added details to build the spooky/scary atmosphere, and the ending was a surprise to me. Combined with funny 80's clothing and college kid shenanigans, this made for a pretty worthwhile evening of vintage horror viewing.

As I mentioned above, I am interested in beefing up my giallo education. I have seen Suspiria (one of my all-time favorite movies), Tenebre (ehh), and The Beyond. Where to now?

I'm also circling back to pick up some classic 80's horror and Vincent Price pics. I've got a copy of Fright Night and the original My Bloody Valentine to watch, and VP's House on Huanted Hill. I also remember hearing that he was great in Theater of Blood.

Mike wrote: "That sounds pretty good.

The last one I saw was Inferno, which is Argento's sequel to Susperia.... I've been interested in getting up to date with a lot of the giallo stuff recently, so I'm trying to fill myself in on Argento's extended work a bit.

I'm interested in doing the same, and would be eager to hear more about your giallo experience/experiments. I've only really seen Suspiria.

thanks for the words, bill!

I just watched Severence - the British comic horror film. First half very funny, almost in the Shaun of the Dead mode, but in the second half it becomes just a horror film - comedy comes pretty rarely. This doesn't make it bad though - it's still a pretty scary thrilling little film and it never bothers to give you any rationale for the terror. It ends with us knowing no more about why it happened then we did at the beginning. Evil just exists in the world. Nice performances that walked that fine line between silly and comic performances, rarely falling on the silly side.

i'm heading to the video store today, i'm definitely looking for it.

Yeah. I looked up his other films, and I think I'll pass on those. But The Sadist was something else! Very dark and intense for a B movie of that time period. The disc I watched was one of those crappy Alpha dvd's. Blasphemy! If they haven't already, Criterion needs to get their hands on it. The cinematography alone is worth study.

Oh man - The Sadist is awesome!!! It's hard to believe how good this movie is if you've ever seen anything else with Arch Hall, Jr. because all of his other movies SUCK big-time. :) Eegah!, anyone? Heh.

Good one, Rob.

I'm not going to lie. This isn't actually a "horror movie". But I just watched The Sadist (1963) and I'm completely convinced Oliver Stone saw this movie and based his characters in Natural Born Killers on it. The Sadist is a MUCH better movie than it's undeserved obscurity would have you believe. The actor playing the "sadist", Arch Hall Jr, hams it up quite a bit, but if you can get past his overacting, this is a neat little film...and very dark. Especially considering the time period it was made, The Sadist is very anti-Hollywood with little of the cliches and trappings one would expect. We've all seen the "psycho menaces innocent traveler" movies before, but this had to have been the first. And honestly..it's one of the best. Highly recommended.

And....if you watch it before I finish this here sody-pop, you can live!

Edit: The cinematography was miles above most other 60's drive-in type films. I just read that the cinematographer went on to film The Deer Hunter, Deliverance, and many other well-known films.

I can highly recommend the first two, the others are weird for sure but I'm not sure I would call them "good" movies. :)

A very interesting tip indeed, KD!

i don't know anything about this guy or his films, so THANKS king dino, much appreciated. i'll put them in the netflix queue and hope to scribble something on them soon.

haven't heard of him before, but Netflix has several, including this one which I've cued up. they also have a film biography of him as noted here:

Coffin Joe: The Strange World of Jose Mojica Marin
(2001) NR
This intriguing documentary chronicles the life and career of Brazilian horror filmmaker José Mojica Marins, who helmed more than 40 movies (many banned or censored) and created the diabolical character Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe), an icon of horror flicks. From the self-taught avant-garde director's impoverished boyhood to his enormous international success, his story is told via interviews with Marins and his closest colleagues.

Genre:Biographical Documentaries, Foreign Documentaries

Looks like Coffin Joe is now residing at home.

I'm not sure if anyone's brought this up on here before, but I've been systematically going through the films of Jose Mojica Marins, AKA "Coffin Joe". He was (is?) a Brazilian filmmaker who began making a series of the weirdest horror movies ever in 1963, beginning with At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul. He followed that with This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse. Marins wrote, produced, directed and starred in most, if not all, of his movies and plays the character, Coffin Joe. It's hard to describe these films except to say they are like a fever dream you might have after too much Robitussin and benzedrine. The imagery and atmosphere of these films are truly nightmarish. So far, I've seen these two movies, 1970's Awakening Of The Beast and 1976's The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures and 1977's Hellish Flesh. Truly demented and definitely not for everybody. The quality of the films seems to deteriorate, the first two being the scariest and most effective, so far.

Anyone else seen any of these?

enthusiasm to be sure. a certain barely constrained crazed energy, leaving the impression that this is perhaps a vision of horror that he'd be willing to inhabit, if indeed he doesn't already. I think perhaps it's just a matter of finding the right demon to sign the contract with.

i've seen inferno at the video store and wondered about it. there are quite a few of his films i haven't seen, but i'm never sure what to trust. in my experience his films are uneven, but i usually enjoy the verve (for lack of a better word) that he seems to have for horror.

That sounds pretty good.

The last one I saw was Inferno, which is Argento's sequel to Susperia. Though there are some effects which don't work too well (one towards the very end, which could have truly brought the movie up tremendously had it been a little more believable) there are a couple of fantastically good scenes. I've been interested in getting up to date with a lot of the giallo stuff recently, so I'm trying to fill myself in on Argento's extended work a bit.

last night i watched machine girl. i thnk someone recommended it on one of these threads. it was pretty entertaining. i can't really say it's horror. it is an "extreme gore" film by noburo iguchi. a girl's younger brother is beaten to death by a gang led by the son of a yakuza gangster, and she takes revenge. along the way she is caught by the mob boss, is tortured and has her arm cut off. she is taken in by a sibling who also lost a brother to this sadistic gang and together they plan to avenge their dead. ami replaces her missing hand with a gatlin-gun style machine gun and they are set to go.

the direction was interesting; there are lots of scenes whee ami is just being a girl and the direction is like your typical teen film/after school special. this is sharply contrasted with scenes of extreme violence that are done in a really humorous way....i kept thinking of monty python and the holy grail (it's just a flesh wound!), with high pressure hoses spurting blood everywhere. you might also see a connection stylistically to a film
like kung fu hustle.

yeah, I'd recommend it to this group, or anyone that enjoys grindhouse....in a way this film is a lot like planet terror only without the zombies....

there was quite a few posts on it, in fact, i think there is a thread dedicated to it.

most of us have discussed it, and loved it. i can't think of anyone who posted that didn't like it. it's a great film, and a real breath of fresh air in the vampire genre.

I'm new to this group and the last horror movie i saw was Let the Right One In. Watch it. it's good.

i've never seen the mask of red death, but it sounds great. i'll see if i can find it at the video store this weekend. speaking of roger corman, last night i watched nightmare castle, with horror darling barbara steele. it's classic corman territory: bad acting, a silly script, but a creepy theme and some good gore here and there.

fulci's black cat was a bit silly, but i'm glad i saw it. it's like you said: they don't make bad horror flicks like they used to.

Hey Phillip.

Have you ever seen Roger Corman's The Masque of the Red Death? It's got Vincent Price AND Patrick Magee in it! Not too bad a film, actually. The costumes and set design are outstanding for the time. And the film actually has some resemblance to the Poe story!

And....I didn't know Magee was in Lucio Fulci's The Black Cat. Did you mention that way back when? I've always read that that movie wasn't really worth seeing, but if Magee's in it, I might check it out anyway.

just watched dementia 13, an early b-horror classic, and francis ford coppola's first film (i've probably blabbed about it around here somewhere). it's a classic gothic horror flick that i've seen many times. the second act is a bit flabby, but the when it's good it's really good at being bad. and patrick magee is in it....if that means anything to you, well, i don't really have to say anything else...

i liked it too, but rob's right: it's on some other level than evil dead or the follow up. it's the kind of film that a lot of people are going to see, and that's good, for the most part, because it works and is pretty good fun. i agree with george, it was a hoot, especially on the big screen with a bunch of horror geeks in the audience getting into it.

got me through the evening anyway.

I thought it was OK...nothing wrong with it. But not quite the return to form I was expecting from Sam Raimi. I'm glad I saw it.

finally saw Drag Me to Hell yesterday. I thought it was quite a hoot, definitely enjoyed it as did everyone else in the theatre judging by the screams and shouts. SPOILER ALERT I still can't believe she didn't give that bank weasel the button. I thought for sure watching him being dismembered was going to be the big payoff.

word.

Well, you know me Phillip. I actually get a kick out of some pretty shitty movies. Blood-Sucking Freaks doesn't have a single ounce of socially-redeeming value to it. But....that's all part of it's charm. ;)

They just don't make crappy horror movies like they used to.

I'm watching Dead Alive right at this very moment. I've seen it before but, hot damn, this is an entertaining movie! :)

can't imagine anyone wanting to see it based on your description?
who do you think you're addressing here, a convention of nuns?
i'm all over this like white on rice.

Last watched: Blood-Sucking Freaks (1976).

With a title like that, you can pretty well guess what you're in for. Extremely low-budget, cheesy gore, reeking of political incorrectness, laughable acting. But you know what? I kind of liked it. It was like seeing what would happen if a group of twisted, drug-addled, s&m enthusiasts got together and said, "Hey! Let's make a movie!" Yes...the movie's crap, but it's so joyful in its depiction of depravity that I just can't hate it. It was meant to shock back in the 70's, but it comes across as a ridiculous black comedy now. If you like seeing tons of 70's nudity, a Jim Carrey look-a-like sucking someone's brains through a straw, a dwarf whipping a cage full of captive women, a dart game with a woman's buttocks as the dart board, and a woman eating a penis sandwich....this is the movie for you. I can't imagine anyone wanting to see this based on that description, but there you go. It never really comes across as anything but a weird home movie. Impossible to take seriously.

we were talking about the original.

Rob wrote: "Yep. Prom Night sucked."

Very >.<
The original sucked too.

Requiem for a Dream is a great great film. The building nausea as it develops is pretty palpable.

I agree, Requiem is a mindblower. I saw it in the theater too, and man - that arm! Yee!

I would think that this film would be a pretty good thing for folks in drug rehab to see - it would sure put me off...

I saw it in the theaters when it came out and it blew me away but it has taken this long (a few years) to be prepared to watch it again. It was one of the few films that doesn't soften with time.

Good luck shaking off the film, Phillip. It might take a while, I'm not gonna lie to ya. It took me years before I was able to watch it for a second time.

i checked out requiem for a dream (again) this morning....whoa!

this is another one of those films that were probably not meant to be horror, but are totally horrific. ellen burstyn is mind blowing in it. too bad she didn't win the oscar for her performance. it was awesome. and i don't think marlon wayans or any of the wayans brothers have delivered such a fine performance.

i need to take a walk or something and shake this film off.

I love Picnic at Hanging Rock and I think Dave is spot on with his assessment: it does what a good horror film should do, but with no gore whatsoever. And the film haunts you for days the first time you see it.

I really like early Peter Weir. The Last Wave is also a very haunting and difficult to classify film.

One of the GREAT horror films,imo. It does all the things a horror film should do: it disturbs, dislocates the viewer from the conventional world, creates the sense that anything could happen and, finally, scares!

I bought the soundtrack a few years ago but to my dismay it was a collection of panpipe instrumentals with none of the ambient electronica.

I wouldn't necessarily count this as horror per se, but I watched Picnic at Hanging Rock last night, which should be, if nothing else, a strong influence for those interested in making good horror. The movie does not deign to explain itself one bit, has very fitting music (horror directors should take note), is well acted, and is fairly eerie for quite a bit of time. A good film, though by no means terrifying.

Yep. Prom Night sucked.

I had the same experience when I revisited Prom Night a few months ago....apart from the humor that comes with all the fashion, it was kind of a waste of time.